ILuvAmstaffs Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 Some of you may have read my previous posts regarding Diesels limp & subsequent ED diagnosis. He was operated on in December & had the shard of bone removed from his elbow joint as well as an ulna oestectomy. Yesterday I recieved the results of the follow up x-rays & they show that there is still a large gap in the joint & the arthritis has become more pronounced since the op. I'm gutted to say the least. So far, after a few weeks on glucosamine & fish oil, he has shown a huge improvement in his limp & he will be started on Joint Gaurd this weekend. what I am wondering is, does anyone have any tips on long term management of arthrits, especially starting in young active dogs. The vet so far has advised to control his weight, she said not to make him thin, but rather keep him well muscled with his last rib slightly visible & allow only controlled exercise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 Lots and lots of swimming cos it won't put any pressure on his joints Poor bugger, but you're doing everything you can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILuvAmstaffs Posted March 31, 2007 Author Share Posted March 31, 2007 (edited) Thanx Shoemonster. When we get our house built, my aim is to have a lap pool put in so he can have somewhere to swim, but that won't even be started for another month or 2... Edited March 31, 2007 by ILuvAmstaffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTD Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 (edited) I have just started taking Maggie to Hydrotherapy. They have both a swimming pool and an aqua treadmill which provide non-weight bearing excerise , hence reduces joint impact whilst building muscles . Also use joint guard and have had some bowen therapy done. Edited March 31, 2007 by magthedag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILuvAmstaffs Posted March 31, 2007 Author Share Posted March 31, 2007 (edited) That sounds like a great idea. I wonder if they have that somewhere in sydney? Will go and google it shortly. Edited March 31, 2007 by ILuvAmstaffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catzatsea Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 Try Sea Lipped Mussel tablets, I have used it instead of glucosamine and found a remarkable improvement. ( My boy is 3 with confirmation via xray at 18 months.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 (edited) . Edited June 7, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catzatsea Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 Is that the same as Green Lipped Mussel? I've tried the green lipped but haven't seen Sea lipped anywhere.I use Joint Guard and find it pretty good. Exactly the same, it was off the top off my head. I purchase it through my vet and have been very happy with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Dam ILA I have been checking for updates on Diesel wondering what the news was. Poor little man. In relation to the gap - Mallee didn't have her check up xrays for 6 months after they did the osteotomy, so maybe he just need a little more time for the bones to fuse back together. I know with her hips, they seemed to take forever to heal i reckon about 8 months, alot longer than anyone ever thought. With the athritis, i am not sure really what you can do with that as Mallee has never shown signs of it since her arthriscope and osteotomy, and her xrays were all clear. We have her on Cosequin which she gets every night, it has glucosamine and other stuff in it, and it seems to have worked wonders for her. We were told the same as you, keep the weight off, limited exercise, no running if you can help it, or sharp turning movements, no jumping. All of which are very hard to achieve with a young dog that doesn't think they have anything wrong with them.. I would probably try getting him swimming and no real heavy exercise still until that bone refuses. Mallee was only allowed to start with exercise of 200 metres after her op and then gradually increase but no more than 1 km for a fair few months, i can't remember the acutual time frame would have to check paper work at home. I hope things start to improve soon for you, i feel really bad for poor Diesel and yourself. Hugs to you both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILuvAmstaffs Posted April 2, 2007 Author Share Posted April 2, 2007 Sorry I haven't posted more Malleerr, but until these x-rays, his limp had been improving so much. A lot of people don't even notice he has a slight limp until we tell them, so I truely expected a good result from the x-rays. I'm just so emotional over it all. Have been balling my eyes out on & off all weekend. I just wish I had a crystal ball to see what his future will be like. I keep telling myself its just 1 leg & he can keep his weight off it if it's sore, so hopefully his life won't be too effected. I changed him from regular glucosamine & fish oil caps to joint gaurd on the weekend & have also started him on something called Noni juice, which many people swear by as a cure for arthritis. I'm giving him a reduced dose of that one though, as it's very high in potassium & i've started taking it myself just so i can gauge any side effects. lol I was told that you can give cosequin with the joint gaurd, so I need to get some of that for him as well. I will keep you updated on how he is doing with it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 (edited) I will just list the experiences I have had with my little Staffy- she is 8 now, I'm so surprised she isn't worse than she is as her elbows are pretty horrid, and she never had any surgery- we found it too late, and there was only osteophytes- no floating bone or cartiledge. I use Green Lipped Mussel (Technyflex) your Vet can get it from Cenvet wholesaler- they are the cheapest. GLM has more anti-inflammatory properties but it does have glucosamine and chondroiton in it too. I figure she needs more anti-inflammatory than anything else and Cosequin, Sasha's Blend didn't do much. Cartrophen Injections- do them regularly, either do a round of 4 once a week injections twice a year, or monthly if you can afford it (perhaps just in winter?). Controlled swimming is great as the muscles will support the joints. Ideally it should be in a well-heated pool 20deg+ and if you are building a pool why not put a ramp in. I have been told by a K9 physio that the underwater treadmill can exacerbate elbow issues in particular- it's great for hip dysplasia and back surgery but not elbows so much, her preference is heated swimming pool. Cheers, Mel. Edited April 2, 2007 by Staff'n'Toller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILuvAmstaffs Posted April 2, 2007 Author Share Posted April 2, 2007 I was thinking a heated pool would be a good idea, so will look into both heating and a ramp before we go ahead. I will see if the joint gaurd helps & if not, I will change to the GLM. I wonder if it's possible to give both? Do you think that 1 cartrophen shot a month would be better tahn a full course of 4 shots every couple of months? If it helps keep him comfortable, I will do the monthly ones, especially seeing as the colder weather seems to be effecting him already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted April 3, 2007 Share Posted April 3, 2007 I'm not sure if you can use both together, but I always give each product a good try to see what improvement there is. I have another dog here who is on Joint Guard and seems to do well on it. Cartrophen- see what your Vet says and do what works for your doggy. Mel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkpetals Posted April 3, 2007 Share Posted April 3, 2007 Hi there. Have you ever tried feeding him Royal Canin Mobility? The diet uses Green Lipped muscle as opposed to Chondroiton and Glucosamine. We just had a training yesterday on the Royal Canin range which was pretty cool. Green lipped muscle is the most potent form of anti-inflammatory available on the market. It is a balanced diet so it can be fed long term throughout your pups life! We sell heaps of it at work! The muscle was discovered on the coast of New Zealand. Apparently studies were done as to why the local Maori people who are over weight, never present with arthritis or joint problems. It was discovered that their diet which is extremely high in Green lipped muscle was the answer! Using this diet can also lower the need for Cartrophen injections. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILuvAmstaffs Posted April 3, 2007 Author Share Posted April 3, 2007 He is on the Royal Canin Maxi at the moment, but I was going to move away from that because if it's high cereal content, but will look into the mobility range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted April 3, 2007 Share Posted April 3, 2007 Hi there. Have you ever tried feeding him Royal Canin Mobility? The diet uses Green Lipped muscle as opposed to Chondroiton and Glucosamine. We just had a training yesterday on the Royal Canin range which was pretty cool. Green lipped muscle is the most potent form of anti-inflammatory available on the market. It is a balanced diet so it can be fed long term throughout your pups life! We sell heaps of it at work! The muscle was discovered on the coast of New Zealand. Apparently studies were done as to why the local Maori people who are over weight, never present with arthritis or joint problems. It was discovered that their diet which is extremely high in Green lipped muscle was the answer! Using this diet can also lower the need for Cartrophen injections. Hope this helps It also depends on whether the GLM in the Royal Canin comes within the therapeutic dose range??? I use Eaglepack and it has Glucosamine in it too- but it's no-where near enough for a dog with dysplasia. Mel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkpetals Posted April 3, 2007 Share Posted April 3, 2007 Hi there. Have you ever tried feeding him Royal Canin Mobility? The diet uses Green Lipped muscle as opposed to Chondroiton and Glucosamine. We just had a training yesterday on the Royal Canin range which was pretty cool. Green lipped muscle is the most potent form of anti-inflammatory available on the market. It is a balanced diet so it can be fed long term throughout your pups life! We sell heaps of it at work! The muscle was discovered on the coast of New Zealand. Apparently studies were done as to why the local Maori people who are over weight, never present with arthritis or joint problems. It was discovered that their diet which is extremely high in Green lipped muscle was the answer! Using this diet can also lower the need for Cartrophen injections. Hope this helps It also depends on whether the GLM in the Royal Canin comes within the therapeutic dose range??? I use Eaglepack and it has Glucosamine in it too- but it's no-where near enough for a dog with dysplasia. Mel. Hi Mel We were told that the entire pescription range of Royal Canin is at Therapeutic levels (higher than maintenance levels). I could find out more for you. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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